Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about India - Transport and Communication from Class 10 Social_Science. In this chapter, we will explore the importance of transport in India, the types of road transport and important national highways, the problems of road transport, railways, air transport, and waterways. We will also study mass communication, types and importance of communication, and finally, Geographical Information System, Global Positioning System, and Remote Sensing Technology.
Movement of goods, services, information and materials from one place to another is called Transport. Transport provides goods and services from the place of production to the place of demand. Through transportation, goods and services reach the places of requirement. The role of transport in the economic development of our country is significant. Areas of Agriculture, Industries, Mining, Forestry, Fisheries, and Dairy Farming are closely linked with the markets through transport. Hence, for speedy economic development, fast transport systems are necessary. Agriculture and Industry form the backbone and muscles of a nation and transport is its nervous system.
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There are four important types of transport. They are Road Transport, Rail Transport, Water Transport, and Air Transport. Let us begin with Road Transport. Roads have been constructed since the ancient period in India. Many kings gave importance to the construction of roads. During the British period, roads were constructed mainly for defence purposes. Roads are very important for the development of villages and agriculture. Movement of agricultural produce by farmers to the markets is possible only by roadways. Essential commodities required by the villagers are transported with the help of roads. Road transport feeds railways. Roads provide the movement of goods.
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Roads are classified into four types. They are National Highways, State Highways, District Roads, and Village Roads. National Highways are the most important roads of the country, constructed across the length and breadth of India. These highways connect various state capitals, major ports and industrial cities. Their construction and maintenance is the responsibility of the Central Government. The Government of India established the National Highways Authority of India in the year 1988 to construct and maintain National Highways. It started functioning in 1995. India has a total of 1,45,240 kilometres of National Highways. At present, National Highway 44 is the longest national highway of India. It is 3745 kilometres in length, starting from Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir, and it ends in Kanya Kumari of Tamil Nadu.
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The highest road in the world has been constructed by the Border Roads Organization of India in Umling-La pass of Ladakh. It is at the height of 19024 feet. Next, we have the National Highway Development Project. A union government project which constructs four to six lane roads of national highways throughout India at an average length of 13150 kilometres is known as the National Highway Development Project. This project is an important and outstanding project to fulfill the basic needs and is the largest project of independent India. The Golden Quadrilateral of 5846 kilometres length and the corridor highways of 7300 kilometres length connecting from North to South and East to West is a part of the National Highway Development Project.
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First, the Golden Quadrilateral Highways. The Golden Quadrilateral Highways links the major metropolitan cities of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata through four to six lanes of national highways. Second, the Corridor Highways, also known as North to South and East to West Highways. The North to South corridor highways links Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir in the North to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu in the south. The East to West corridor highways links Porbandar in Gujarat in the west with Silchar in Assam in the east. The Golden Quadrilateral and corridor roads including national highways are important not only economically but also politically. They enable transportation of goods at a minimum cost and shortest time. They play an important role in uniting India emotionally and creating national integration.
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Now, let us look at the problems of road transport. First, many village and district roads become unfit for transportation during the rainy season. Second, road transport is also the cause of environmental pollution, increased density of vehicles and accidents. Third, roads are subjected to severe wear and tear due to rain, floods and cyclones every year. Fourth, construction and management of national and state highways are inadequate. Fifth, scarcity of the basic needs along the roadside is seen all over the country. Moving on to Railway Transport. Railways are the lifeline of the nation. It is an important mode of land transport. They are very useful to carry heavy goods and a large number of passengers over a long distance.
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The first railway line was laid between Mumbai and Thane of Maharashtra on April 16th, 1853. The Indian Railways occupies the largest position in Asia and the fourth largest position in the world. For efficient administration, the railway network of India has been divided into 18 railway zones throughout the country. The importance of railways includes playing a vital role in the economic development of the country, being very useful to carry heavy goods and large number of passengers, being useful to travel at a low cost, and being useful to transport agricultural and horticultural products at a rapid speed. Next, Water Transport. Water ways in India exist from ancient times. India has a coastline on three sides with ports.
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Let us list the important major ports. Kandla is in the Gulf of Kachchh. Mumbai is in the state of Maharashtra. Mumbai port is called the Gateway of India. Navasheva is located in the state of Maharashtra. Navasheva port has been built with state of the art facilities to relieve the high pressure of Mumbai port. Marmagoa is located at the entrance of Zuari estuary in Goa. New Mangaluru Port is the most important port of Karnataka. Kochi is in Kerala. Tuticorin is in Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the oldest port of India. It has an artificial harbour and is in Tamil Nadu. Vishakhapatnam is a natural port and located in Andhra Pradesh. Paradeep is in Odisha state. It is a recently developed port.
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Kolkata is in West Bengal. It is a natural harbour. This port is called the Tea port of India. Haldia is a newly developed port on the coast of the Bay of Bengal to overcome the problems of congestion at Kolkata port. It is in West Bengal. Now, Air Transport. Air transport is the quickest means of transport for the economic development of the country. The Golden Quadrilateral highway and its corridor roads link Indian International and Domestic airports. The Airports Authority of India was established by the Indian government in the year 1955 and its headquarters is at New Delhi. This is an important organization to provide basic facilities for civilian flights. In India, a total of 24 international and 103 domestic airports are being managed by the Airports Authority of India.
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Let me read out the complete list of important airports from the textbook table. Number one, Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Number two, Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. Number three, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. Number four, Chennai International Airport in Chennai. Number five, Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru at Devanahalli. Number six, Mangaluru International Airport in Mangaluru. Number seven, Sardar Vallababai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Number eight, Lokapriya Gopinatha Bardoli International Airport in Guwahati. Number nine, Chowdary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. Number ten, Rajeev Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. Number eleven, Manohar International Airport in Mopa, Goa. Number twelve, Maharshi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya.
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Let us move to Communication. Today, there are different means of communication. We can contact people in different ways. The method of reaching a large number of people at the same time is called Mass Communication. Besides the traditional newspaper and radio, as a result of advanced electronic technology, communication network is widely spread in India and is rendering a great service. With the development of electronic technology, today many communication media have come into use. In addition to traditional mediums like posts, newspaper and radio, television, satellites, computer network, internet, e-mail, and mobile telephones are the main types of communication that are important. Mobile phones are inevitable nowadays.
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The importance of communication is as follows. With the help of communication media, people of the country can learn about the various incidents of different places. The people can be aware of the policies of the government. By educating people through mass media about agriculture and industry, a speedy developmental process is possible. Mass communication media have become the fundamental requirement of trade and commerce. Mass media can be effectively utilized to strengthen the unity, integration and stability in the country. Now we will study modern spatial technologies. First, Geographical Information System. The system which can collect the information, accumulate and use it when required, modify and show the data of the earth surface is called Geographical Information System. It was first established in Canada in the year 1960.
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Today it is widely used all over the world. The earth surface has various types of natural and cultural features. In this, districts, land structure, rivers, distribution of shelter, land use, soil and crop distribution can be overlapped one above the other and easily analysed. Thus, Geographical Information System is a computer-based system which can accumulate and interpret the data on the earth surface. The uses of Geographical Information System are: technology-based maps are more attractive and give accurate information. Various types of geographical, social and economic information can be easily analysed and models can be constructed. In recent years, this technology is being used to give advance intimation regarding weather phenomena and management of natural resources. Since this is a computer-based analysis, maps can be created very fast without the need of a cartographer in a very short time and even maps can be modified.
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Of present-available Geographical Information System softwares, map-constructing technology, Apple, Arc info, Autocad, Map info, and Map view are prominent. Second, Global Positioning System. The main objective of this system is to indicate the location of a stationary or moving object or person through pointing out the latitude, longitude and height above the sea level. Today this system is very useful in many areas. Global Positioning System technology works based on the information sent by the satellites and through the use of any individual receiver set on the earth surface. The method of working is as follows. The Global Positioning System involves more than 20 artificial satellites launched and managed by the United States of America. They revolve around the earth constantly.
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Each satellite is equipped with powerful cameras, an accurate clock powered by solar heat and information-transmitting antenna. The information sent by these satellites can be received by a receiver of any individual, and analysed to indicate the actual position of that person. Based on the information obtained from satellites, the distance between the individual and satellites is accurately calculated and the location of the person to the exact latitude, longitude, and height above sea level is given. Because of this, the Global Positioning System is also called Path finder. Today, Global Positioning System is important from the point of view of national security. Because of this feature, India has launched its own seven satellites to have its own local Global Positioning System. The regional and independent Global Positioning System system of India is named as NaviC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).
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The uses of Global Positioning System are: They are useful in assessing the geographical position of natural calamities so that suitable safety measures are taken. It is helpful for trekkers to know the exact location and routes. Soldiers, pilots, fishermen and sailors use Global Positioning System to follow correct path and direction. Today transport authorities also use this to manage the movement. Global Positioning System is the lifeline for many services at their door in the cities. Global Positioning System shows path to google maps. Third, Remote Sensing Technology. In modern technology, remote sensing is very important. To collect information regarding the earth surface, it gathers information about distance without physically touching the objects. This is called Remote sensing. Aerial and Satellite photos are from Remote sensing.
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The uses are: From these pictures, true, accurate and reliable information pertaining to that period can be obtained. This is a fast, low-cost information collection system compared to geographical survey. The information gathered by these can be easily analysed using computers. Remote sensing images can be obtained from satellites regarding the extremes of climate and disturbances in the geographical features. Studies related to natural calamities like typhoons, cyclonic storms, floods, and drought can be taken up with the help of remote sensing pictures. The role of satellite images is significant in analysing the natural resources like land use, forest area, water bodies, residential areas, distribution of crops, land erosion, and coast.
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Now, let us proceed to the exercises. I will answer every question completely so you can prepare well for your exams. Exercise One: Fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The name of the international airport of Bengaluru is Kempegowda International Airport. Question two: For the development of villages and agriculture, road transport is necessary. Question three: The Mumbai port is called Gateway of India. Question four: The tea port of India is Kolkata. Exercise Two: Answer the following questions in brief. Question five: What is the importance of roads in India? Roads are very important for the development of villages and agriculture. Movement of agricultural produce by farmers to the markets is possible only by roadways. Essential commodities required by the villagers are transported with the help of roads. Road transport feeds railways and roads provide the movement of goods.
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Question six: What are the four types of major Roads? The four types of roads are National Highways, State Highways, District Roads, and Village Roads. Question seven: What is meant by Golden Quadrilateral Project? The Golden Quadrilateral Highways links the major metropolitan cities of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata through four to six lanes of national highways. It is part of the National Highway Development Project and spans 5846 kilometres. Question eight: Make a list of major ports in India. The major ports are Kandla in the Gulf of Kachchh, Mumbai in Maharashtra, Navasheva in Maharashtra, Marmagoa in Goa, New Mangaluru Port in Karnataka, Kochi in Kerala, Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Paradeep in Odisha, Kolkata in West Bengal, and Haldia in West Bengal.
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Question nine: List out the problems of road transport in India? The problems are: many village and district roads become unfit for transportation during the rainy season; road transport causes environmental pollution, increased density of vehicles and accidents; roads are subjected to severe wear and tear due to rain, floods and cyclones every year; construction and management of national and state highways are inadequate; and scarcity of the basic needs along the roadside is seen all over the country. Question ten: What are communication Media? Which are they? The method of reaching a large number of people at the same time is called Mass Communication. The media include traditional mediums like posts, newspaper and radio, along with television, satellites, computer network, internet, e-mail, and mobile telephones.
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Question eleven: Mention the importance of Communication. The importance is: people can learn about various incidents of different places; people can be aware of government policies; educating people through mass media about agriculture and industry enables speedy developmental process; mass communication media are fundamental for trade and commerce; and mass media can strengthen unity, integration and stability in the country. Question twelve: How is Global Positioning System different from Geographical Information System? Geographical Information System is a computer-based system that collects, accumulates, modifies, and shows data of the earth surface, allowing overlapping of features like districts, rivers, and soil for analysis. Global Positioning System, on the other hand, indicates the exact location of a stationary or moving object or person by pointing out latitude, longitude, and height above sea level using satellite signals.
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Question thirteen: Write about Remote Sensing Technology. Remote sensing gathers information about the earth surface and distance without physically touching the objects. It uses aerial and satellite photos. It provides true, accurate, and reliable information quickly and at low cost. It helps in studying climate extremes, geographical disturbances, natural calamities like floods and droughts, and analysing natural resources like land use, forests, water bodies, and crop distribution. Exercise Three: Activities. Activity one: Mark and name the Golden Quadrilateral, Corridors and National Highways in the outline map of India. To do this, draw a quadrilateral connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. Then draw the North to South corridor from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, and the East to West corridor from Porbandar to Silchar. Label National Highway 44 running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari.
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Activity two: Collect the satellite launching photos of India. You can gather these from official Indian Space Research Organisation publications, newspapers, or educational websites showing launches of satellites like those for Navigation with Indian Constellation or remote sensing missions. Exercise Four: Projects. Project one: Discuss on the transport system in your region with your friends in class. Identify the types of roads, bus routes, railway stations, and local transport available in your area. Project two: Discuss about the necessity of the maintenance of village roads. Explain how unmaintained roads become unfit during rains, hinder agricultural transport, and affect daily life, emphasizing the need for regular repairs.
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Project three: Discuss the role of transport in the economic development of the country. Explain how transport links production to markets, supports agriculture, industry, mining, and trade, and enables national integration. Project four: Collect the informaiton of work and activities of ISRO in Karnataka. Research Indian Space Research Organisation facilities in Karnataka such as the Indian Space Science and Technology Centre in Bengaluru, satellite tracking stations, and their contributions to remote sensing and communication satellites. We have now covered every concept, list, definition, and exercise from this chapter. Remember to revise the exact names of ports, highways, airports, and the definitions of Geographical Information System, Global Positioning System, and Remote Sensing for your examinations. Practice drawing the Golden Quadrilateral and corridor routes on a map, and ensure you understand how modern communication and spatial technologies support national development. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]